Pay The Piper

“This Board of Inquiry will now come to order.  Please present the evidence.”

The five board members sat in silence as the evidence was presented.

“If it pleases the board, although we only became aware of the issue a few days ago it would appear that the first appearance of this group was actually a month ago.  The Board may remember the reports in the paper of a burglary at the offices of a Doctor Janice Simmons?”

Heads nodded at the mention of the name.

“Our investigators went to discuss the matter with Doctor Simmons, under the guise of an insurance assessment.  The following is a transcript of the conversation, and is presented to you as exhibit A”

We had been packing up the office in preparation for a move to new accommodation over the weekend, and I had asked one of the nurses, Samantha, to stay behind and ensure the medical records were properly stored.  We had almost completed the work when I had to step out of the office for a moment.  I had pulled on a short black jacket over my dress and left Samantha to complete the work.

I was only out for maybe fifteen minutes, but when I came back I was shocked to find Samantha sitting in an office chair.  Her wrists were bound with rope to the back of the chair.  More rope was wrapped around her chest, and her bare feet were pulled back and tied to the foot of the chair.  She looked at me over the white tape over the mouth that was preventing her talking, and shaking her head wildly.

I realised why when a gloved hand was clamped over my mouth, and I was ordered to lie down on the floor.  As I did so, I saw that there were three other people in the room, going through the medical records.  Although all four were masked, I could clearly see that they were female.  Trust me – as a doctor, I’d be a complete failure if I could not tell the difference.

My wrists were pulled behind my back, and then tied together with rope.  My ankles were also tied together after my shoes had been removed, and then the two were bound in what I believe is called a hogtie.  As they slapped some tape over my mouth, all they said was “Sorry for the inconvenience” and then we were both left to watch while they searched for something.

I have no idea what it was, but whatever it was they didn’t find it there.  They then moved on to force the safe and take what money they could find.  After apologising again, they left the two of us struggling to get free.

It took at least an hour for me to get out of my bonds and call the police, but I still have no idea what it was they were looking for.

The Board chairman spoke.  “There was no indication at all as to why they were targeted?”

“As I say, we had no idea that this particular incident was related to the events we are here to discuss today.  It was only later that we realised they were connected – but before that they did strike at another house.”

“This was the break in at the Espace offices?”

“That is the one – Espace is one of the best known fashion houses in the area, and again we could not see the connection at first.  If it pleases the panel, we have a transcript of a similar discussion with the office manager, a Miss Janette Clark, which we submit as Exhibit B”.

I was sitting at my desk, catching up with some paperwork, when the five of them walked in.  I thought they were there to ask about possible modelling jobs, but when two of them produced handguns I realised there was something else going on.

One of them pulled the telephone from the wall, and ordered me to stand with my back to them.  I felt my hands being pulled together and rope being wrapped around them, pulled tightly so that I could not move them apart.  I was wearing a grey jacket and skirt with a white blouse, and when they started to tie me up I had my jacket buttoned up.  As they wrapped some rope around my chest, the jacket opened under the additional strain.

All they kept saying was “Sorry, so sorry” as they pushed a small sponge into my mouth, and then tightly tied a long length of white cloth over it so that I couldn’t call out.  I really wish I had been able to, because then Angie wouldn’t have walked in on us.

Angie is my secretary and she dropped the files she was carrying when she saw what was going on.  Two of the women grabbed her, and took the dark blue scarf off that she had tied around her neck.  They pushed another sponge into her mouth, tied the scarf tightly over her, and cleared my desk before pushing her down.

As they did this, the short black skirt she was wearing rode up, revealing the top of her patterned stockings, but that didn’t stop them crossing her wrists and tying them above her head and against one of the desk legs.  They then made me sit on the edge of the desk and wriggle back before they took my shoes off and began to tie my ankles together.  They took Angie's legs around my waist, crossed her ankles in my lap and started to lash them together as well.

After that, we had to watch as they raided my filing cabinet, eventually taking four files with them.  They then apologised once more, and left the two of us to try and get free, taking the files with them.

It was over an hour before someone came in and freed us.  When we checked what files had been taken, it was for three of our clients who had recently undergone some small cosmetic work.

“Are these three clients the ones that we are associated with?”

“They were indeed, sir.  Before we had a chance to put the pieces together, however, we were surprised to find that Doctor Simmons had been attacked again, this time in her new premises.  This was actually the incident that brought this group to our attention, but regretfully it was too late to stop what happened from happening.  The later conversation we had is in exhibit C

I mean, what the hell is going on here?  We had only just got over the last break-in when we are attacked again – but this time it was much more serious.

This time, I walk in to find that Samantha has again being tied to a chair, but now she had been stripped down to the read bra and panties she was wearing.  I was forced to strip down to my bra and panties, and this time tied securely to one of the other chairs.  Instead of tape, a hankie was stuffed in my mouth and a thin white cloth used to hold it in place.  I wondered why until I realised that one of the gang was dressed differently from the others.

I later learnt from Samantha that she had come in wearing this outfit of a dress, white cardigan and pearls, and wearing a grey wig.  She had surprised Samantha when her back was turned before calling in the others and tying her up.  Now this woman approached me with – well, a large feather in her hand, and said “This time we’re not sorry – where are the special files?”

Well, now I knew what they were looking for – the files relating to our confidential clients.  I had no intention of giving them up, so I shook my head.

“Pity” the lady said.  My chair was pushed up behind Samantha’s and our big toes were tied together with rope.  I confess it took my a while to see why they did this, but then they started ticking my bare foot with the feather.  As I squirmed and wriggled, I heard a grunt of pain from Samantha, and I realised just how she was going to be hurt if I moved.  At the same time, the tickling just would not stop…

I lasted a full five minutes before I screamed “STOP!” through my gag.  They pulled the cloth down and removed the hankie, and I gave them the combination to the safe.   They opened it, took the files and then re-gagged me before they headed off.  Once we managed to free ourselves, I called the clients involved before I called the police – standard operating procedure for these ones.

“As the Board are all too well aware, this was when we realised that somebody was specifically targeting one of our operations.  At this point, we opened discussions with our sister groups, such as those working with Madame X, but none of them had any idea who may be responsible for these attacks.”

“It was two days later that the major raid took place.  The offices of our main bankers, where the women whose files were taken worked, were attacked by this all-female gang.  The Board have been furnished with detailed reports and forensic evidence, but it may be worth hearing the transcript of the interview with Alyssa, the manager of the facility, which is Exhibit J.

The five people walked in, dressed in various forms of leather.  The leader was wearing a topless dress and knee length boots, while tow of the other had leather trousers and jackets, and the other two leather skirts and suede boots.  All were armed, and I knew better than to argue with them when they told us to do what they said.

Kim was the first to be tied up.  They forced her to take her skirt off, leaving her in a black blouse and knickers, and then tied her wrists together behind her back.  I was forced to open the safe at this point in another room, but when I left she was being made to sit down against the filing cabinets.

The leader stood over me as I opened the safe, and made me clear the contents out into the sack she had with her.  I could hear Kim grunting in the main office area, and Sally protesting that she was being hurt, but the leader forced me to concentrate on the safe rather than them.  When the safe was cleared, she forced me to strip in front of her, so that I was left only in my knickers, and then my hands were tied together behind my back.

Through the open doorway that I was now facing, I could see that Sally had had her wrists crossed and tied behind her back, and one of the other gang members was stuffing a cloth of some sort into her mouth before tying a thin white scarf in place to hold the gag in.  My own attention was then diverted by the rope that was being wrapped around my arms and chest, and then around my neck and shoulders.

I was then marched back into the office, and I saw both Kim and Sally sitting against the filing cabinet.  Their ankles were tied together in front of them, and Kim had been gagged in the same way as Sally.  The gang leader then took a length of rope, tied it around my waist to hold my bound wrists against my back, and between my legs so that it rubbed against my clitoris.

I was pushed onto my knees, and I felt rather than saw my ankles being tied together.  The other gang members were taking items from our own purses at this time, and I looked over my shoulder at Sally.  She looked back at me in a sympathetic manner, and nodded as if to say that everything would be all right.  A cloth was pushed into my mouth, and tape smoothed over it as the leader thanked us “for helping them” and the five left.

After a few minutes, I managed to wriggle over to the emergency alert button and kick it with my feet.  You guys arrived a few minutes later.

“As the Board are aware, this particular incident was not reported to the authorities, as it would have compromised several of our operations.  Taken into the context of the other attacks, it became clear that someone had decided to rob the facility, and gained information on those who worked there, without realising who it was that actually ran the facility.”

“Had they been aware that they had robbed the main offices of the Burglar’s Association, I think some very different tactics may have been employed.  By good fortune, however, we discovered that these were an independent group.”

“And how did this happen?”

“We now know that this gang conducted a number of other raids – including one at the house of a prominent member of society.  By a strange coincidence, this was also one of the targets selected by Member 1 for her current operation.  Her report forms Exhibit Q.”

As the Board are aware, I have been laying plans for some time for a major operation, and part of those plans was to invite the Alderman’s daughter to spend some time with us.

We visited the Alderman’s house on Tuesday last with the intention of bringing his daughter back to our secure location, but were surprised on entering to find that the house had been broken into already.  I knew it was not a member of the BA – you have informed them all not to operate in this area for the moment – so we wondered what had happened.

A noise could be heard upstairs, so we waited in hiding to see what happened.  A young brunette, whom we recognised as the Alderman’s Daughter, came tentatively down the stairs.  She was wearing a brown striped topless peasant blouse and denim shorts, but the most striking thing about her was that she was already bound partially and gagged.

Her arms were pulled behind her back, and someone had done an excellent job of tying her arms and chest as well as a crotch rope.  Her mouth was covered with silver duct tape, and she looked as surprised as we were to see she was not alone.

We sat her down, and as I peeled the tape away she both thanked us and asked us who we were.  I asked her what had happened, and she told us how five women had jumped her as she came in the door, tied her up and gagged her, then left her on the bed as they raided the place.  She then told me that the whole thing would be on video tape, as the security cameras had not been disabled.

She nodded in the direction of a door, and one of my colleagues went to have a look, returning later with a video disc.  The girl then pleaded with us to release her, only to discover to her horror that we weren’t the police.  We replaced the gag, tied her ankles and legs and carried her out to the waiting van.

I have enclosed the disc mentioned for your perusal.

“If it pleases the board, we have the disc here for you to watch.”

The five people watched as the DVD showed the scene that had been described to them.

“With this information, we had enough now to use freeze frame and our databases to identify the five gang members through records.  We then informed our Internal Investigations Unit.  The lead investigator is here to present his report.

“Proceed.”

Thank you.  As the Board has already heard, these five turned out not to be members of the BA, but a new group who were unaware of the correct protocols to follow.  Youthful enthusiasm and understandable, but we still felt a message had to be sent.

The first was alone at home when we called to recover our property.  She was in the process of dressing, and when we came in all she was wearing was a pair of white panties.  A beautiful redhead, it did not take long to subdue and bind her by hand and foot.  Forcing her to kneel on a couch in her flat, we further bound her by the legs and around her chest, before asking her where the property was.

She proved to be most co-operative, even giving us new addresses for three of her colleagues.  They had indeed moved in from another area, but had blundered in not contacting us first.  We further secured her by passing a rope around her neck and chest, and securing it behind her back, before placing several layers of red tape over her mouth.  She looked over her shoulder at us as we further cleared her flat, then her eyes opened wide with astonishment when we administered the anaesthetic.

As it was still the early hours of the morning, we moved on to the second name on our list.  She was asleep in bed, but not for long when we woke her, rolled her over and lashed her wrists together behind her back.  Her ankles and legs were bound, and she was sat up for her arms and chest to be secured.  As you can see, it was not the most efficient of bindings, but it did the job.

We took her out of the bed, laid her on the floor and gagged her with white tape before ransacking her house and retrieving more property.  She just lay there with her blonde hair on the floor and only the black panties on – until we also sent her to sleep.

The leader of this little troop proved the most competitive.  She thought like a wildcat when we called on her, and it was only with some force that we managed to secure her wrists behind her back.  We actually had to frog tie her, with her ankles against the backs of her calves, to ensure she would give us no further trouble.  Duct tape was used to silence her, but she too soon succumbed to the drug.

The last two shared a flat, and this proved – well, mildly entertaining.  We entered the flat and surprised the blonde haired one as she was making herself some breakfast.  She offered no resistance, which given the other three was in itself odd, but quietly sat down in a kitchen chair and allowed us to tie her hands behind her back and to the seat back.  Her ankles were tied to the legs of the chair, and more rope held her arms to her side and her lap to the chair.  The only thing she said before we used some black tape to gag her was “Make sure my friend is all right”.

We realised exactly what she meant when we went into the main living area, and found the fifth girl on the floor.  She is a young dark haired Asian girl, and she looked round at us with a look of confusion.

Not because of her predicament – she was securely bound with ropes, and her ankles drawn up in a loose hogtie.  She was wearing white bra and panties, and knee length stockings, but laying on her stomach in the floor it was obvious we had interrupted a very special game of some sort.  Her wrists and elbows were bound tightly behind her back, and a thick white cloth tied into her mouth.

She grunted at the three of us as we looked at her, but she too soon fell asleep with the narcotic which we also administered to her friend.

All five were then transported here, and stand before the Board for consideration.

“Actually, stand is the wrong word.”

A light was witched on, and the five women were revealed to be on the floor in the room.  The one bound to the chair had been carried in, chair and all, while the other four were lying on carpets looking up at the room.

“So, ladies, you have been brought before the Board if Inquiry of the Burglar’s Association to face your fate.  If you like, it is time to pay the piper.  Do you understand the magnitude of what you did?”

All five nodded, and the leader tried to talk out.

“Remove her gag.”

She coughed once or twice as the tape was removed, and then spoke.

“We apologise for our mistakes, but not for wishing to carry out our chosen trade here.  It was ignorance, not maliciousness.”

“We shall retire to consider our findings.”

The five rose and left the room, while the captive women sat and lay quietly awaiting the decision.  Presently, the five returned.

“We agree you were ignorant to do what you did, but find no desire to go against us.  Are you willing to join our group and work within our rules?”

The five nodded.

“Very well then – the proceeds of the office robbery will be returned, and you will pay a tribute of 40% of all goods over the next four years.  Otherwise your careers end here – permanently.  Is that acceptable?”

Again, the five women nodded.

“Very well – take them away and get them dressed.  They have twenty four hours to comply.  This Board of Inquiry is closed.”